Tech billionaires expose MAGA’s “populism” con job: MAGA “populism” was always an inch deep — Trump’s billionaire-palooza proves it

https://www.salon.com/2025/01/16/tech-billionaires-expose-magas-populism-con-job/

21 comments

  1. A bit from the commentary:

    >On Tuesday, NBC News reported that tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg will all have prominent seats on the platform at Trump’s inauguration. The symbolism is unmistakable. Those seats are usually reserved for family members, former presidents, and prominent politicians. Giving those seats to billionaires signals loudly that this is a new era of oligarchy, without even an attempt to feign allegiance to pre-Trump notions of government for and by the people.

  2. Man, the nabobs have paid a shitload of bucks to see the clown. So first row in the manege is not too surprising.

  3. Boi I can’t wait to see maga people buying teslas and reading the washington post

  4. He’s never made politics for the people, only ever for himself. So not surprising. People useless now. Only needed for reelection. Now he just needs his ego stroked and real billionaires can do that. Real meaning one’s that don’t bancrupt 6 businesses and then just stick with the real estate they inherited.

  5. What will always get me is how pundits talk about “democrats need to help the working class” all while it’s clear that the way to win elections is through the propaganda machine – because the same standards for the gop just are not there.

  6. It truly is remarkable how readily Americans voted for their own systemic failures

    Speaking as an outsider, when compared to even the dictatorship of China (who once “disappeared” billionaire Jack Ma for trying to meddle with politics), one can’t help but find China to be the lesser of two evils.

    Now if only they’d piss off regarding the South China Sea, that’d be nice

  8. Well, no shit!

    Didn’t the publicized beef between musk and zuckerberg, acting like kayfabing pro wrestlers warn everyone? Shit!

    Once they knew the public was going to pick a side, Facebook or twitter, they knew they had a majority of us by the balls.

  9. Correction: Bannon is still facing charges in the state of New York for his “build the wall” scam, not federal charges (T**** pardoned him for those).

  12. Why is trump giving the owner of TikTok an honored seat? I mean, wasn’t he gonna be real real touch on ‘Chiner’?

  13. It’s not the only thing that’s an inch deep around here.

  15. Idk about the headline.

    Textbook populism is pretending to be against the “elite” (“drain the swamp” etc.) while actually being part of the elite themselves and not actually giving a shit about the underprivilged.

    In that sense MAGA is true populist through and through and always has been. And thats the issue.

  16. Elon is a populist, he campaigned as hard as Trump and deserves his seat at the table. This is what the people voted for. They wanted to protect their personal from being eaten by dirty brown immigrants, prevent middle school teachers from performing sex change surgeries without parental consent during recess, and to have the world’s richest oligarch fighting wokeness. These were popular policies and is exactly what the people voted for. The “populism” is real.

  17. Ushering in the new post-constitutional American era of oligarchy.

  18. People are saying its like Russia.
    No .
    it is worse than Russia
    if you see military parades or oath taking ceremony or any other commemoration in Russia you can see that Putin is surrounded by the guys in the uniform with tons of medals on them and the Orthodox priests . so no he does not do this kinda shit
    Oligarchs are never near him during his official functions.
    the difference is he controls his oligarchs to a certain extent . if they veer off they would have an unfortunate “accident” or would be in trial until they are broke like the CEO of YUKOS gas.
    Trump is controlled by the oligarchs .
    that’s the difference

  19. MAGA culture war bullshit successfully convinced rural Americans to allow silicone valley billionaires to literally rape our country. The cult is 100% in control now. We are fucked.

  20. Populism is when you signal and express that you hate the out-groups, too.

    You’ve heard of social conservatism. We can call this social populism.

    These people are way more invested in social class than economic class. It’s been this way at least since race, and consequently racism, was invented.

  21. Lol when they heard MAGA, they thought 1950s, and the MAGA in charge was thinking 1800s level monopolies.

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